Dads pillow

I think my boys are handling this deployment very well. We have not had any major problems other then some mild depression, and some back talk. A few days ago I changed the linens on the beds and Brian asked if I thought his dad would mind if he slept with his pillow. I asked why and he said because it was softer. I totally agree with him and said sure. That night my bed felt even more empty so while Brian was at school I took back "dads pillow." Later that evening I took a shower and when I got into bed I noticed the pillow was gone. I went to pull straws with Brian only to find him fast asleep on "dads pillow"..............so I pulled it out from under him.......JUST KIDDING! hehehe
I kissed him on the cheek and walked away with tears in my eyes.

A day full of good news

Today Dave called with exciting news of our next duty station. Ft Sam Houston, San Antonio Texas. We couldn't be more excited about that. San Antonio is where we were wanted to retire in 3 years. So now we get to move there and start our lives, but still have the comfort of being in the military. Most of all we get to finally buy our very own house!!!! We will be moving around June/July while the kids are out for summer break.

In more good news. Brian will be representing his classroom in the school wide spelling bee. The spelling bee will be in November I will keep you posted on the results.

I always find it funny how the kids are so different from each other. Brian is strong in reading, but struggles with math. Dylan excels in math but gets frustrated with reading. Ashley is aggressive and Nick is mellow.

Time to get back to work, just wanted to share a bit of exciting news.

Stories

Wow its been a while since I wrote anything. I'm sorry my dear readers. Here's whats been happening.
First I got an "A" I mean Brian got an "A"on the shark project. He said he did really good with his presentation and it wasn't as scary as he thought.

We also went on a camping trip with the cub scouts. It only lasted 1 night because it started to rain the next morning, but we had fun while it lasted. Brian used the hatchet to chop off tree limbs for firewood and marshmallow sticks. Dylan cleaned out the campsite of all the rocks and grass with the shovel. After we set up the tent we went to the lake to try our hand at fishing. The wind was so wild down by the lake that every time we cast out our lines they flew backwards. So after 10 minutes of that we headed back to the camp site. We found a few pinon nuts and played around with our friends. Brian was in charge of the fire and Dylan was in charge of looking out for bears. That evening was pretty chilly and very windy, so when it started raining the next morning I knew it was our clue to head back home.

David is also doing just fine. Busy as usual. Our last conversations have been towards our new location. We know we would love to stay in Hawaii forever, but that would mean he'd have to deploy again and we really don't want to do that. So now we are looking at our options as far as non deploying units such as training units. So now he may be going from an active infantryman to an instructor. He's been a Ranger Instructor before so its nothing new, but he enjoys being in the middle of things better. Its still to early to tell where we might go, but as long as he doesn't have to deploy again I could actually careless. Well that's not entirely true. I would like to go somewhere that we have not been to yet. I'll keep you posted when we know for sure.

Okay, I think your all caught up. See you next time.

School project

So I was outed yesterday. Brian had a school project on an animal that I "helped" him with, but when he tried to give a practice speech to the family it was me who answered all the questions. He knows everything there is it know about the great white shark, but has bad stage fright. We all got a good laugh because how could a child of mine have stage fright? I am such the drama queen and after a few points and tips my boy was just as dramatic as I was. I wish I could've been in his class today to see him give his 2minute demonstration, but I'm sure I would've made him even more nervous.

Oprah Show

I just watched an episode of Oprah that I had on the DVR. It was about a mother who left her 2 year daughter in the car for 8 hours while she was at work. The first thought that went through my mind was what kind of person could forget their baby in the car, but then the show went on to explain what happened. Then I realized that couldve easily have been me or you. Her husband is the one who usually takes the kids to daycare, but on this day he had a dentist appt. She had changed her daily routine to take her daughter, and at the end of the day she realized she forgot to drop her off and she died in the extremely hot car. I say that this could happen to anyone of us because there are times when we have so much on our plate that any change in the "routine" could be disastrous. There was a zen master on the show, and he said something that I TRY to follow everyday. That is to be in the moment in everything you do. If you are with your children then BE with your children. Your T.V shows can be recorded, the laundry can wait, and remember when there was a time with no cell phones.
Not only do I try to focus on my tasks, but with 15min a day with Yoga meditation I am able to center and focus on my surroundings. Try it. I actually use an exercise I learned in high school drama class. Lay down on your back in a quite room with your arms at your side. Relax your whole body. Let your feet fall to the side. Listen to your breath feel your heart beat. Let your mind clear of all activity. Just be in the moment. Can you hear the birds outside? Can you hear the hum of the electricity going though the walls? Now start at your feet. wiggle your toes, feel your legs, your hips.move your fingers wake up your arms, turn your head from side to side. Open your eyes.
Im telling you I don't get much sleep, but after I do this I feel like I took the greatest nap ever.

Be in the moment.

carrot, egg or coffee

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, 'Tell me what you see.' 'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She didand noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hardboiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'So…what does it mean, Mom?' Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting in the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot,an egg or a coffee bean? The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!!

I got this in an email and wanted to share it here.

David update

Well theres not alot to tell actually. He's been pretty busy these last few weeks. After the death of his solder he went full force in apprehending anyone with known ties to terrorist groups. In doing so he captured 2 suicide bombers and dozens more. For his actions he was awarded the bronze star. That's about all I can say at this time. His phone calls are short and since he cant tell me how his day is going I pretty much do all the talking.